Food security remains a major challenge in Africa, where millions of people still lack regular access to sufficient, healthy, and nutritious food. Yet, the continent has enormous agricultural potential, both in terms of fertile land and crop diversity. Unfortunately, this potential remains largely underexploited, to the point where many African countries heavily rely on food imports, particularly rice, wheat, and powdered milk. In light of this paradox, strengthening local food crop production growing food primarily for national or community consumption emerges as a strategic solution to ensure lasting food security.
According to the FAO, food security exists when all individuals have, at all times, physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and culturally appropriate food. In Africa, this security is constantly threatened by several factors: dependency on imports, climate change, armed conflicts, lack of rural infrastructure, and the gradual abandonment of traditional foods in favor of imported products, which are often less nutritious. Yet, the continent is rich in traditional foods some rare, yet highly appreciated and nutritionally valuable. For example, Gnetum africanum (known as eru or kok), widely consumed in Cameroon and Nigeria, is rarely grown at a large scale. Another example is fonio, an ancient grain cultivated in West Africa, rich in iron and easy to digest, but disappearing from many farms. Other neglected but cherished examples include amaranth leaves (folong), wild yam, purple sweet potatoes, and Bambara groundnuts (voandzou), which are often reserved for special occasions due to their limited availability.
Strengthening local food production would not only reduce dependence on global markets and stabilize food prices but also create jobs especially in rural areasand fight poverty. Crops like local maize, plantains, cassava, Ndop rice, and local leafy vegetables like nkui or okok are widely appreciated but not sufficiently available, due to a lack of support for their production. By encouraging their cultivation, processing, and marketing, we can meet local demand while preserving Africa’s culinary heritage.
For local food crop production to effectively support food security, several key strategies must be implemented. These include supporting smallholder farmers through better access to seeds, training, and agricultural financing. Promoting rare or forgotten crops is also essential, through awareness campaigns, nutritional programs, and their inclusion in school and hospital meal plans. Furthermore, modernizing the value chain through local transformation (sweet potato flour, hibiscus juice, plantain chips, etc.), proper packaging, and marketing can increase the value of these products. Finally, digitalizing agriculture through e-commerce platforms, weather information systems, and mobile apps for farm management can make food crop systems more efficient and accessible, especially to young farmers.
Leave a Reply